Wish You Were Here
by Angel-Hunteress
Summary: 10Rose. Rose returns without any memory of who she is or of the Doctor. The Doctor has no idea what is wrong or how to stop it. Who is the myseterious woman following them? And when an old enemy returns, can the Doctor stop it in time to save Rose? Alt S4
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Okay, so this idea just wouldn't get out of my head. It's a very odd idea, but hopefully a good one.

Oh, and on a random note, to fuel my Doctor Who obsession further, I was SuperPoking on Facebook and then one of the new options is 'ride the TARDIS with...' You won't believe how estatic I was!

Anyway. Enjoy.

* * *

The Doctor couldn't tell what was wrong with the TARDIS.

Ever since he dropped Donna at her place for a visit, he hadn't been able to open her doors again. He had decided to work on the console, which had a circut that had shorted in their last adventure while Donna spent time talking to her mum and grandad. He knew that her mother would not appreciate the Doctor just stumbling in, and Donna said that she would try to explain to her mum--the abridged version, of course--of just who the Doctor was.

He began fishing in his pocket for the key, when a small grin flashed across his face. He had forgotten about this new trick, but it was the most exciting thing since he took the sonic screwdriver from the dusty shelf in his ninth regeneration.

He held out his arm, looking at the TARDIS doors with an intense gaze and projected as much of his telepathic power as he could muster.

_Snap._

He waited, as he did at the library, but nothing happened.

He tried again. Still nothing.

Furrowing his eyebrows, he dug into his coat pocket yet again to take out the key. He walked up to the door, sliding the key into the lock, but it wouldn't go in all the way. He began to jiggle the key this way and that, until he gave up on the attempts.

He frowned, placing his hand on the door to see what was wrong. She wasn't responding, not even her usual hum. He couldn't pick up anything telepathically, except an odd emotion.

Anticipation.

"Come on," he cooed, petting the door. "What's wrong?"

There was a searing feeling in his hand, and with a startled gasp he dropped the key still in his left hand. He examined the hand, seeing a faint burn. The key was a bright golden colour.

"I don't know what you're trying to tell me!" he threw his hands up in frustration as he lent over to pick up the key.

He heard the noise of footsteps approaching, then. Donna.

"You might wanna go back to your mum's place for a bit. The TARDIS is acting funny. Never done this before, but I think she might be sick. It might be a while before I can--" He turned around, noticing that Donna wasn't saying anything.

It wasn't Donna standing at the end of the alley. It was a woman, a blond woman. One with brown eyes, familiar ones. She gasped, dropping the bag she was carrying.

"What?" the Doctor furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

The woman turned and ran.

"Wait!" he called after her.

He couldn't really see her that well, but he knew that stature anywhere. And the way that the sun flowed around her, it was as if she was glowing, and he knew where he had seen something like that before...

Could it really have been Rose?

* * *

"Really, mum, the Doctor's a good man," Donna defended as her mum put on the tea.

After her mum got over the whole 'It was the Doctor who ruined at the wedding' bit, she seemed to like him a little more. Now, of course, she was on about how he treated Donna while they were away.

"She's right, Sylvia," her grandad vouched. "I've met him and I know he takes care of her."

"But is it a proper job?" Donna's mother asked. "I mean, is he paying you right?"

Donna thought a little at this question as her mum poured the tea. She thought of the Ood, their freedom and their song. She thought of Caecilius' family being rescued and watching their city covered with ash but knowing that they were still alive. She thought of watching the Adipose being transported up into their ship. She thought of Jenny, the Doctor's daughter and how he had changed. Of meeting Agatha Christie, solving the age-old mystery.

She smiled. "Oh, yes, mum. It's very rewarding. But it's not the money, really. It's the sights and the people we meet and the adventures. Not so much the running, though."

"Running? I thought you looked a bit thinner than I last saw you. At least you're staying in shape. Thought you were on that Adipose diet like last time."

She didn't comment on the fact that Adipose was run by aliens. "No, mum. There's lots of running with the Doctor. It's all part of the job, I guess, though."

"Probably why he's so skinny," Sylvia went on. "I tell you, the skinnier the better. They only gain more weight when they get older--'cept you, dad--so hang on to your Doctor. I dunno, after all that travelling you might think you could settle down."

"Mum! We're not a couple, honestly. We travel together and that's it!" Donna protested.

"All right, all right," Sylvia held her hands out in protest, a small smile forming on her lips. She let the subject drop, and began talking about the local gossip. "So, did you hear the news about Tommy? Apparently he's found a new girl and she's moved in with him now. It's only been two months! And not only that, but Anna, you know, he's last girlfriend? She's been--"

Donna smiled, listening to her mum give the gossip. It was all so...surreal, listening to her. Listening to something that was the core of her mum's life, the people around and the changes in the daily life, while Donna was out everyday running from some horrible creature on an alien planet or dining with a purple Telafian or something.

She wondered what the Doctor was doing now.

* * *

The Doctor ran to the end of the alleyway, quickly examining the bag which the woman--_Rose?_--dropped. It was a large black bag filled with clothes. A travel bag he had often seen.

He ran out of the alley, carelessly bumping into a woman jogging and knocking her over.

"Oi!" shouted the woman. He got up, quickly apologizing before he ran again in the direction of the woman who most likely was Rose.

"Sorry!" he shouted again over his shoulder.

His trainers pounded on the ground as he caught sight of the familiar blond hair again, running through the street as fast as he was. She weaved through the people, as did he. She turned and he turned, running blocks and blocks.

* * *

"Well, mum, I best be going. The Doctor doesn't like staying in one place too long. He's like a little boy, that man."

She headed for the front door, her mum and grandad following. She turned back, hugging her grandad and then her mum.

"Well, then, just promise that you'll come visit more often. Or just call once in a while. You know, sometimes I try getting a hold of you and no one's ever seen you. It's like you vanished off the face of the Earth or something."

Donna shared a look with her grandad, hiding a small smile. "I'll call more often, mum. It just gets a little...busy sometimes. Can't really have a chat when you're running."

She smiled, turned back and left the house, walking out to the street.

It was at that precise moment when she turned and waved goodbye that she was knocked flat on the street by a blond woman.

"Hey! Watch where you're--" Donna started, but gasped in surprise. "Wait, I know you!"

But the woman was dashing off again.

Donna stood up, and almost got tackled by the Doctor. He grabbed her hand without breaking his step.

"What the--"

"Come on, after her!" the Doctor shouted.

Gripping his hand tighter, she hurried forward, trying to match his pace while at the same time trying to catch her breath from the girl and then the sudden running.

Maybe the running wasn't such a bad thing.

* * *

Three blocks south, two blocks east, two blocks north and one block west.

She _had_ to be getting tired. It was impossible for a human to run so far and so fast and not get tired. After all, they only had one heart. If not for the fact that he had caught Donna later on, he knew she would've been tired by now.

But she turned the corner again, just enough to let the Doctor see the side of her face. Oh, it looked _so_ much like Rose. But it was impossible, wasn't it?

He turned the corner then. He was a lot closer than before. He turned, looking at Donna. She seemed okay, confused, but not devoid of energy...

Wait. Why was he picking up four pairs of footsteps?

That shouldn't be right. This was an empty street. And who would be running?

He saw a flash of blue. Someone was after them. But who? Perhaps Mickey, or Jackie or...

He turned his head back forward, making sure he didn't loose her.

So, three blocks south, two blocks east, two blocks north and now two blocks west. Was it just him overthinking, or were the running in a great big circle?

As she turned to the right, he knew he wasn't imagining it. She was headed back toward the TARDIS.

And before he knew what was happening, she stopped, dead in her tracks at the point where she dropped her bag.

He almost ran into her, stopping just short of the alleyway entrance. She turned toward him, and he was greeted with the most beautiful sight since he returned to Gallifrey that last time.

Rose.

There she was, just how he remembered her. Her hair had grown a bit longer, the colour a bit tanner. She looked about the same age, perhaps just little under a year older since he saw her last on that dreaded beach.

Of course, none of that mattered at the moment.

"Rose Tyler," he could scarcely say. He felt tears threatening to surface, the grief he pushed to the far depths of his mind daring to overwhelm him.

Her shock and surprise brought him over the edge. In an instant he enveloped her in a tight embrace, wrapping his arms around her waist and lifting her off the ground and spinning around.

"I thought I'd lost you--well, I did loose you--but I thought forever. But you're here. You're really here. How? Is Jackie and Pete and Mickey with you--and that's right, you said there's another Tyler! They all here? Can't wait to tell you everything that's happened since I last saw you. Adventures right after another. Met two extraordinary people--well, three, if you count Jack. Jack's back, you know! Working at Torchwood! Helped us fight the Master. Never told you about..."

It was then he realised that two tears were trailing down his face. And it was then that he also realised that she had not been hugging him back, rather she was stiff and tense as a board.

He released the embrace, pulling back to see her face. The shock and surprise were still there, but hidden behind wide and afraid and confused eyes. Wild eyes.

"Rose, what's wrong?" he asked, worry overcoming him.

"Who are you?" she asked, her voice small and frightened.

"But...Rose, it's me. It's the Doctor. You remember me, the Doctor, right?" his eyes searched hers, but they were blank.

He felt her tense up again in his arms.

"Doctor..." her voice was small again, though there was a trace of recognition behind it, even if he imagined it.

But then her eyebrows furrowed in more confusion.

"Doctor who?"

And in that instant her eyes rolled up and closed, and with a dramatic exhale, her weight collapsed under her and she passed out. The Doctor caught her in his arms, lost in confusion and fear.

* * *

A/N: Okay, so this was originally going to be a one-shot. I have yet to write a one-shot and I really want to but the plot always seems to extend itself. Ah, the plot bunnies are attacking me. Damn the plunnies :p

So tell me how you like it. Anything. Like it, hate it, wanna just burn it with the rest of the terribly written fanfics? The purple button says it all.


	2. Chapter 2

A/n: Wow! I am really happy (and surprised) at how much feedback I'm getting. Thank you to all my reviewers! Now, I started this thinking it would be a one-shot and have this done in time for 'Turn Left' which I absolutely cannot wait for. But apparently, it's getting a lot longer, so it won't happen. Oh, well.

* * *

Donna finally caught up with the Doctor, out of breath and her legs feeling as if they were on fire. She saw him enter an alleyway, at least she _thought_ it was him--that man could sure run--and ran after him. After catching her breath, she turned toward the Doctor and whatever scuffle he would be getting into now.

The sight she saw was _not_ what she was expecting. There was the Doctor holding the girl who had knocked her over in his arms, the girl unconscious.

"What happened?" she asked.

He turned toward her. Rarely had she seen him look so vulnerable, and his scared eyes revealed a more terrifying side of the Doctor she had ever seen .

"I..." His eyes were frantically searching hers, looking for some answer which she had none. It was disconcerting, to say the least.

But, after being at certain...parties, she had grown used to people passing out in the street.

"Give me your coat," she started professionally.

"What?" Apparently, that wasn't the answer he had expected.

"Coat. Off!"

He seemed to come out of his daze for a second. "Right!"

Donna helped him get out of his coat as he continued holding onto the girl. She placed it down on the street, and he gently laid the girl down on top of it.

"Who is she, Doctor?" she asked gently, as he cupped the unconscious girl's cheek with his hand.

"It...It's Rose."

"Course it is," Donna muttered, everything clicking into place. "That explains it."

"What do you mean?" asked the Doctor, not taking his eyes off Rose.

"I saw her. Back with the Atmos systems and the Sontarans...I saw her shouting for you on the monitor. Completely forgot about it. I tell, you though, if you told me..." She looked sadly at the girl--_Rose_, she corrected herself_--_and then to the Doctor. He had looked away from Rose to her in a split second, but then fixed his eyes back to the blonde.

"What's wrong with her?" Donna asked.

He stared at Rose, brushing the hair off of her forehead before responding, quietly. "I don't know. Could be the weight of travelling from a paralel universe to another, could be-"

"Get away from her!" shouted a female voice.

They looked up to meet a woman, tall, skinny, with long brown hair and dark eyes. She wore a dark blue top with dark brown pants with a matching brown jacket. She looked all business and crouched down.

"She's highly dangerous and I've been tracking her down. Who're you, then?" She looked professionally to the Doctor and then to Donna, perhaps assessing them both.

"I'm the Doctor," he responded automatically.

"What?" the woman asked furrowing her eyebrows. "I'm gonna need a litle more than just 'the Doctor.'"

"Right," the Doctor nodded, digging into his pocket and fishing out the psychic paper. "I'm Miss Tyler's physician, Doctor John Smith. This is my assistant Donna Noble."

The woman took a long look at the ID, frowned, and then grinned. "Quite right, too. I'm Doctor Emily Jones, M.D. Did they assign you to this case, too, Doctor Smith?"

"Yep. Called me in just a little while ago. But just to refresh my memory--new, and all that--what is this case exactly?"

"Right. Miss Tyler, you see, she's--" Dr Jones stopped, shutting her eyes and seeming to hiss in pain. "She's the victim of a new disease, relatively new in the last few weeks. She's the first we picked up, the control. I was first to see it, and I have been treating her since. Restrained her, as it seems to be airbourne, but now that she escaped..."

"It has hit the general public," he finished for her. There was a grave pause. "What kind of disease?"

"It's a neuro-degenerative, targeting the brain cells. Most of the others have been experiencing temporary hallucinations and some schizophrenia tendencies, but Miss Tyler is the only one who is actually _active_. Most others go comatose after a day or so."

"How many days has it been?" asked Donna.

"A week. I've tried everything but nothing is working," Dr Jones replied. "Her hormones are through the roof. Her adrenaline levels are way above normal. Her memory and cognitive abilities are completely shattered and her responses are animalistic."

The Doctor was silent, and Donna saw his hearts shattering when he looked at Rose. She didn't quite understand everything that this Dr Jones was saying, but she got the gist of it.

Dr Jones seemed to notice the look in the Doctor's eyes as he stared at Rose.

"I'm sorry, Doctor. But until we figure out the cure, you have to remember that this isn't Rose anymore." She put her hand on the Doctor's shoulder comfortingly.

"Come on, Doctor. Let's get her back to the hospital so we can try to figure out the cure. My car's round the corner. I'll get it." As Dr Jones stood up, she saw a flash of blue. It was box, a police box. She grimaced in pain, shutting her eyes tight before regaining her composure and walked out to fetch her car.

After Dr Jones left, Donna turned to the Doctor.

"Are you all right?" she asked him, placing a hand on his shoulder as he gently began to pick up Rose.

"Course I am. I'm always all right." The reponse was one that was expected, but the tone of it was very hollow.

There was a pause between the two as she saw his mind working behind those heartbroken eyes.

"She said that she tried everything," the Doctor started, his voice small and quiet. "Everything to a twentienth century Earth doctor. Not everything to me. But the TARDIS...she won't open." He turned toward Donna. "And if this disease is so infectious...I'm sorry. I brought you here and you'll get infected."

Donna frowned, the concern for her friend losing to the irritation at thought of feeling like being wrapped in a wool blanket. "Hey, don't go like it's the end of the world cause there's some silly little disease out there. You can stop a bunch of bleedin' potato-aliens from taking over the world, you can find the cure to one little disease. Twenty-first century Earth or not."

He turned his head toward her, and a moment passed when they were only looking at each other, giving silent comfort. Then he broke out in a grin.

"You're right! I'm the Doctor! Why shouldn't I be able to find a cure?" He grinned at her, and Donna couldn't help but smile at his enthusiasm. "I'm a Time Lord. I don't think there's anything I can't do--"

"Overdoing it a bit," Donna interjected.

"Yeah?" His grin never stopped.

"Yeah."

The sound of a car motor made them turn their heads. Dr Jones had pulled up parallel to the street, opening the back door.

Quickly and carefully, the Doctor picked up Rose in his arms and placed her inside the backseat, resting her upper body against his shoulder.

He turned toward Donna.

"You should stay here. You might get infected," he stated calmly to her.

"Like hell I am," Donna muttered, yanking open the passenger door. "World's in danger and he wants me to stay home and have tea."

As she closed the door and strapped herself in, the Doctor grinned despite the situation. He was lucky to have a friend like Donna.

* * *

The ride to the hospital was quick and yet painstakingly slow.

During the ride, Dr Jones had called the hospital and informed them to bring a stretcher with restraints. She noticed the Doctor's discomfort, but assured him it was all for Rose's protection and safety, as well as the general public.

So far there hadn't been any symptoms reported yet, but it was still early to determine. Only time would tell how many had been infected.

Still...there was something about Dr Jones that was off. Something not quite right.

Okay, the Doctor mused. There was the explanation she had given about why she had been following them. No, not them, _her. _Rose. She was running after them because she was running after Rose and Rose was a threat and Dr Jones was responsible.

But she was the woman that he had run into when he charged from the alleyway. The one he had knocked down. He hadn't even fully hit the ground, but she did. So, that subtracted a couple metres between them in distance. And when he had turned around after meeting Donna, she was further back.

She shouldn't have been able to even _see_ Rose. So was she following them or did Rose have some kind of tracking device on her?

And the other thing. When he was doing his calculations in his head, the woman didn't stop for breath. She couldn't have. And Rassilon knew how long she had been running before he ran into her. So how could she have ran so much without stopping?

Rose had an excuse. Heightened adrenaline. Humans could do so much with just one hormone. Adrenaline was something he was fascinated with. Of course, he didn't exactly have that much adrenaline as humans did--as a one hundred percent human, that was--but a little. And his respiratory-bypass. That's what kept him going. Otherwise he would've been winded. So what was Dr Jone's excuse?

Number two. How did she find Rose anyway? When he had asked she told him that she found Rose an unconscious heap on the streets when she had been on her way to work at Mercy Hospital about a week ago. After taking the poor girl to the hospital, getting her properly fed and back on her feet, she had found that the girl was more than charming and yet began showing symptoms of something that resembled post-traumatic stress.

He found many holes in this story Dr Jones gave him, though it seemed Donna hadn't. For one, he wondered--though technically it should be A because he was still under his second point--what was the cause of Rose's unconscious state? Surely a doctor so brilliant would be able to diagnose it. Trauma, even post-traumatic stress wouldn't exactly make someone fall unconscious like that. For two, the most important (again, only two points. He was wondering if there was a pattern to this) was had Rose mentioned anything of travelling with him?

If he had Dr Jones would have surely noticed the great blue box behind them, perception filter notwithstanding. She would have noticed the pinstripes and the converse trainers, and perhaps even the title 'John Smith' if Rose had told her that much, not to mention just the title.

And point number three. The one that kept bothering him. It seemed to be a large circle, didn't it? The plot-hole filled story of finding Rose, having Rose escape, having the Doctor get stuck here for unknown reasons, run into Rose and then run into Dr Jones.

It just seemed a little too...convenient, didn't it?

And then there was the fact that Dr Jones never really showed him her credentials.

He had a bad feeling that something was coming.

A bad storm.

* * *

A/N: So, there ya go. Hope ya'll like it. I actually wasn't expecting it to become all medical-like (I really have no idea what the hell I'm talking about there--kinda) but hopefully it won't detract from the plot of the show.

Wow! I am really happy (and surprised) at how much feedback I'm getting. Thank you to all my reviewers! Now, I started this thinking it would be a one-shot and have this done in time for 'Turn Left' which I absolutely cannot wait for. But apparently, it's getting a lot longer, so it won't happen. Oh, well.

Any guesses to what's going on or if Dr Jones is telling the truth?

I live for predictions.


End file.
